As Long As We're Together
by JustAnotherDay274
Summary: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny experience life, love and friendships and ultimately learn that they will get through anything as long as they have each other. Sounds sappy, but I am bad at summaries. Give it a chance! RHr, H/G
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This story picks up pretty much right where HPB left off, so spoilers ahead if there is anyone out that who hasn't read it yet (shame on you!). It will primarily be focusing on Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny, as well as the friendship between the four. This if my first fanfiction, so I need all of the help that I can get…please read and review!**_

**_Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to pretty much the most amazing person in the woooorld- my sister and beta, Mrs.CedricDiggory. I am currently the beta for her awesome new fic, titled "From Meters to Miles". I highly recommend that you check it out (after reading mine, of course!). _**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That would be a woman by the name of J.K. Rowling (My dad actually recently got the question "Who wrote Harry Potter?" wrong on a game of Scene It…I came very close to disowning him). **_

**Chapter 1**

"_Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."_

As Hermione Granger stood in her forest green dress at the front of Bill and Fleur's wedding ceremony, her mind wandered and she gazed at the people surrounding her. Standing next to her on her right was Ginny. Hermione smiled. In the past few years especially, she had needed more than two boys to be able to confide in, and Ginny had quickly become one of her best and closest friends. Today she looked stunning with her vibrant red hair long and straight, hanging halfway down her back. It contrasted perfectly with the green in her dress, identical to the one that Hermione herself was wearing.

Hermione had been surprised when on the way home from Hogwarts, Fleur had asked both Ginny and Hermione to join her sister, Gabrielle, and her cousin, Felicity, as bridesmaids in her wedding. Ginny was to be expected, since they were soon to be sister-in-laws, but Hermione was not even family. When Hermione had expressed this to Fleur, she laughed her tinkling laugh and remarked, "Not today, perhaps."

As bewildered as she was about the possible implications of that comment, she could not help but be happy to be up here with the majority of the people that she loved. Maybe it was because when she was in the wizarding world she was away from her parents, but she truly found family in her friends. When she was with them, she felt as if she belonged.

_"..commended to be honored among all men."_

On either side of Hermione and Ginny stood Gabrielle and Felicity. Gabrielle looked quite a bit older than the last time that Hermione had seen her, during her fourth year at Hogwarts. Her blue eyes shined and her cheeks flushed as she stared in total admiration at her older sister and Bill. Felicity was every bit as beautiful as Fleur, with long blonde hair that curled gracefully into an elegant bun. Since her arrival to the Burrow the night before, she had been attracting quite a bit of attention from Fred and George, something that had Angelina and Katie, their girlfriends, in a fury.

Maybe Hermione was imagining it, but it even seemed as though the two Quidditch stars were glaring at Felicity from their seats next to each other in the wedding audience. They stuck out as two of the few seated people who did not bare either the bright-red or white-blonde trademark hair colors.

The two twins in question stood across the way from Hermione, elbowing each other in the side and making faces that conveyed a struggle not to laugh. Standing alongside them were the three other groomsmen- Charlie, Ron, and Harry. Hermione noted again with disdain that Percy had not even shown up to his own brother's wedding.

_"In this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined."  
_

Harry stood at the end of the line, his long unruly black hair half covering his lightning bolt scar, which stood out against his pale skin now more than ever. Hermione noticed his intense green eyes surveying the area from underneath his glasses, just as she was. His glance, however, was determinately staying away from the red-head girl to Hermione's right. Harry was Hermione's best friend, and she didn't want to see him ruin his relationship with Ginny. The two had been very reserved in their reasoning for staying away from each other for the past two days, and Hermione vowed to make a larger effort to talk to them about it later. They made each other so happy, that she could not possibly see what had happened between them.

Hermione's focus shifted to the tall, lanky boy next to Harry; her other best friend, Ron. Her mind drifted, as it had on many occasions in the past few days, to the day of Dumbledore's funeral. That day had been one of the most horrible in Hermione's whole life, and yet…when Ron had held her and stroked her hair, she had felt an odd sense of comfort. In a time full of uncertainty and danger, Ron had made her feel totally and completely safe. Looking over at him and seeing the way his arm muscles arched attractively from under the sleeve of his tuxedo, she remembered how it felt to have his arms around her body, and…_God, what was wrong with her?_

_  
"If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."_

Hermione quickly glanced over at Mrs. Weasley. She and Fleur had gotten off to a rocky start in their relationship, but it seemed as though the hard feelings between the two of them had truly been resolved. Mrs. Weasley sat at the front of the crowd holding hands with her husband, with a content smile on her face, and tears of joy running down her cheeks.

To her left, Mrs. Delacour looked equally moved. She blew her nose softly on a beautifully embroidered handkerchief.

_"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

With that being said, Bill passionately kissed Fleur. The minister, a small dwarf-like man, held out his wand and sent red confetti falling slowly over their heads. As they broke apart, their arms still around each other, they looked lovingly into each others eyes with a look of total contentment.

They had proved even before marriage their complete dedication to each other. Bill's werewolf attack just days before had been traumatic, but they had worked through it and they were still together. They had just vowed to continue to work through any problems that arose between them, and Hermione knew without doubt that they would stay with that vow.

As the newlyweds went in for another kiss, Hermione glanced over at Ron again, and met eyes with him. Ron's cheeks quickly turned roughly the color bubble gum, and he looked down, becoming suddenly interested in the flower near his feet. Hermione felt a burning in her own cheeks. _Hmmm…  
_  
Music began, signaling the end of the wedding ceremony. Bill and Fleur linked arms and walked back down the aisle, with the rest of the wedding party following behind them. Hermione met up in the middle of the aisle with Ron.

"That was a really beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?" she asked him, smiling.

"Well, it was a bit long, if you ask me," he replied, "My stomach was growling by the end of it."

"Are you telling me, Ronald," Hermione teased, "that even at your own brother's wedding, all that you could think of was food?"

"This isn't just food that we are talking about! Fleur's mom made this amazing ham, and twice baked potatoes, and…"

His voice trailed as he glanced over to the side of the yard, where Fred and George were in a very suspicious looking huddle. "Uh oh," he said. "I smell trouble. I better go see what is up with them, or who knows what kind of embarrassment they have planned for Bill."

He reached for Hermione's hand and gave it a quick comforting squeeze before turning to head towards his trouble making brothers.

"Oh, and 'Mione?" he called, turning around after taking just a few steps, "Save me the first dance, okay?"

Hermione smiled in spite of herself as she walked across the yard to congratulate the new Mrs. Fleur Weasley.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Harry Potter was not in a festive mood.

As soon as his obligatory attendance to the wedding ceremony and dinner were fulfilled, he had quickly retreated to a far corner of the Burrow's yard. There were many perks to his party hangout of choice. He was just close enough to observe the happenings of the party without being noticed, and he was just far enough from the noise to be able to think.

If there was one thing that he had done quite a bit of over the last few days, it was thinking. Not that anyone could say that he didn't have enough to think about. Tomorrow evening, he, along with Ron and Hermione, would be leaving the Burrow and setting off to go find the six remaining horcruxes. They had absolutely no lead on where these horcruxes might be. The one person in the world who did was dead.

_ And even he wasn't always right about them, _Harry thought to himself, reaching into his pant pocket to feel the locket inside.

They had already decided to start off where Harry's whole adventure with Voldemort had started so many years ago- at Godric's Hollow. After that, it was anyone's guess where they would go, or how long they would be gone. Only one thing was certain; their journey would end with Harry's inevitable battle against Voldemort.

Harry looked over at the celebration still going strong down in the main part of the yard. The Weasleys, with help from the Delacours, had really gone all out to make a picture perfect wedding for their son. A local band, the Singing Sorcerers, were positioned on an elevated stage, playing soft romantic tunes.

The music was being used to its full advantage, as just about every person attending the party was out on the dance floor. Bill and Fleur were in the middle of the crowd, holding each other tight. They swayed back and forward to the music with their eyes closed.

Harry smirked to himself as he saw another pair of dancers, his best friends, looking a little too close for comfort.

His smile widened as he observed the other couples out on the floor. Mrs. Weasley was dancing with Mr. Delacour, while Mr. Weasley danced with Mrs. Delacour. Fred and George were dancing with Angelina and Katie, of course, but they gave frequent glances over to Felicity. Her partner of choice was Bill's good friend since Hogwarts, Daniel. As Harry watched, Gabrielle cut in between the two of them. Daniel, laughing, spun her around in quick circles, and Gabrielle shrieked with joy.

And Ginny. Ginny was dancing with Charlie. Harry thought momentarily to himself that he could be out there dancing with her. But why should he, really? She was just his best friend's little sister.

He looked back over at Ron and Hermione. Ron had just tipped Hermione back so far that the tips of her curly hair touched the ground, and she came up with a huge smile on her face.

Momentarily he felt guilty that he was going to be taking them away from all of this. They were just ordinary teenagers, and they should be spending the summer having fun. Their only fault was being his friend.

However, he knew in his heart that they would not be happy unless they were helping him. They had always been together, a team, ever since they met during their first year at Hogwarts. They had said to him after Dumbledore's funeral that they wouldn't turn back, and he knew that they meant it.

Ginny was a different story. If he let her come with them, he would be risking her safety far more than he dared. If Voldemort were to find out that he lo---

_ I don't love her!_

Cursing his non obedient mind, he snuck out of the yard and into the Weasley's house. He headed quickly to Ron's room, to get some much needed sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

An hour after his brother and sister-in-law had left for their honeymoon in Italy, Ron Weasley sat looking out his window. He looked past his bright orange colored room to the vast empty field down below.

Much of his childhood had been spent in that field, play Quidditch with Fred and George, and occasionally even a disgruntled Percy. He was remembering one occasion where they had all spent the whole afternoon in an intense "Weasley Tournament"; Fred and Percy versus George and Ron. They wouldn't even stop for lunch, and although their mother had pretended to be annoyed, she had sent down a picnic lunch for them to eat right there on the field.

Ginny hadn't been around that day. She must have been spending the afternoon with that friend of hers that had lived just down the street; the ones that had moved when Ron was around nine.

Ron remembered, thought, with a chuckle, the times when his younger sister _had _been there. She was always pleading with her brothers to be allowed to play with them, and they had always refused. She never went down without a fight, however, and it wasn't uncommon for them to come back to find "surprises" in their rooms. Once Ron had come inside from a long game of Quidditch and flung himself onto his bed for an afternoon nap, only to find a spider on his pillow.

Ginny.

She had always been like that- stubborn and determined in the best way possible. After Fred and George had left for Hogwarts especially, she and Ron had been extremely close. Until Ron left for Hogwarts himself, in fact, he had considered her his best friend.

He considered himself lucky when it came to relationships. In his lifetime, not only had he found a best friend in a sister, but he had found a brother in a best friend.

Harry.

Ron looked over to where he was asleep in the bed across his bedroom. It just further showed his luck that only minutes after being separated from Ginny to go to his first year at Hogwarts, he had met the boy that would become like a brother to him.

In the past six years, they had been through so much together. Ron knew with confidence that Harry would do anything for him, and he would do the same for Harry. That explained why when Harry said that he was going after the remaining horcruxes, Ron had only seen one course of action. _Of course he was going with him. _

Since their arrival to the Burrow, Harry had been extremely withdrawn. Ron and Hermione had talked about it, however, and as much as they wanted him to open up with them, they knew that it was best if they gave him some space. They had known him long enough to know that when the time was right, he would share everything with them. With them leaving tomorrow evening, Ron hoped that time would come very soon.

For the past few days, he had envisioned the three of them finally having a heart-to-heart up in his room after the wedding party. Apparently though, that would not be the case. Harry had disappeared after dinner, and Ron hadn't seen him again until he had come up to his room to get ready for bed. When he walked through the door, Harry had been there, already asleep in the spare bed, and still fully clothed from the wedding.

_ Not that you didn't fully enjoy yourself at the wedding party without him,_ his guilty conscious snarled at him.

It was true that he did have a good time at the party. He and Hermione had started dancing as soon as Bill and Fleur finished their first dance, and they continued almost nonstop for the next two hours. They had only paused from their often silly movements to take a few much needed breaks. They would sit down at one of the tables set up in the corner of the yard and talk and laugh, enjoying the music provided by the Singing Sorcerers.

Hermione.

In a time of reflection about his luck in relationships, he could never forget to think about her. Just like with Harry and Ginny, his feelings for her were so powerful, they stretched past the boundaries of just "friends". At the same time, however, he held her in a different spectrum than he did Harry, or even Ginny. She was one of his best friends, for sure. But there was more to their relationship than that- something deep and everlasting. He couldn't quite define it, but Hermione was special.

As Ron sat looking out his window, his mind became too full for sleep. As much as he knew that he needed rest to prepare for tomorrow evening, he had a sudden need to be out of his room, doing something. He couldn't very well talk to Harry, given his present unconscious state.

He had an idea. Grabbing something from off the top of his dresser, he left his room and walked across the hall to his sister's bedroom.

_ Knock, knock. _

"Yeah?" he heard Hermione call from inside.

Ron opened the door and stepped inside. Ginny was lying on the bed closest to the door, curled up under the covers, fast asleep. Hermione sat on the bed at the far side of the room, propped up on pillows and reading a book. She had on a white silk robe over her pajamas. Her chocolate brown hair, which she had straightened and worn up at the wedding, was back to its trademark curls, hanging down her shoulders.

_ Just the way that I like it_, Ron thought to himself.

He walked across the room and sat down at the end of her bed. He looked over to see what she was reading. It almost looked like…but no. She wouldn't be reading _that_ book again. He tilted his head so that he could read the writing on the spine. She _was_ reading it!

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed in an exasperated voice. "You are reading Hogwarts, A History _again_? Don't you have it memorized by now?"

She rolled her eyes. "And I explain it to you, _yet again_. I like reading it! Even if _you_ find it boring to read about our school, it gives me good memories of Hogwarts while I am away."

Her eyes darkened slightly. "Especially now."

Wanting to keep it light, Ron retorted, "Well, don't say that I didn't _try_ to save you from a life of lameness."

Hermione laughed and slapped him playfully across the arm. "So…," she asked, "What brings you down to this neck of the woods?"

"Well…I _was_ going to ask if you two were up for a late night Wizard Chess tournament, but…"

He looked over at Ginny, who was still sleeping.

"Hey, Gin," Hermione called softly. "Are you awake?"

There was no response. She shrugged. "Well…I'll play a game with you. I couldn't get to sleep, so I was planning to just read until I got tired."

"Okay," Ron replied. He motioned to the game board that he had sitting on his lap. "Want to move it downstairs? I would hate to wake up the sleeping beauty…"

Fifteen minutes later, Ron and Hermione sat on the floor of the living room, deeply immersed in the game of chess.

_ Hmmm_, Ron thought to himself as he observed the options for his next move.

"Knight to E4," he said, finally, knocking out one of Hermione's Castles.

"Noooooo," she whined. "Can't you show me mercy? It isn't easy playing chess against the brains behind 'The Best Played Game of Chess That Hogwarts Has Seen in Many Years', you know."

"It is good for you, Mione," Ron responded. "Even Harry agreed with me that it isn't healthy for you to be best at everything _always_."

"I am not best at _everything_!"

Now it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. "Whatever you say."

"Speaking of Harry…" Hermione started. "Has he told you anything about what is up between him and Ginny?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Whatever it is, Ginny is really upset about it. Did you see her at the party tonight?"

"She was miserable," Hermione sighed. She twirled a brown curl around her finger, looking deep in thought. "I wish that we didn't have to leave tomorrow with the two of them so angry at each other. Whatever they are arguing about, it can't be _that_ bad. I mean, they love each other."

Ron winced.

"Come on, Ron. I know that she is your sister, but don't you want her to be happy?"

He sighed. "I'll bring it up with Harry tomorrow morning. How is that?"

"Good. And I will talk with Ginny."

They turned back to their game, and each concentrated on their next move, until…

"Checkmate!" declared Ron.

Hermione pretended to glare, but it turned into a laugh. "Well," she said diplomatically, "If I have to lose at chess, then you are a good person to do it to, being the future world champion and all."

He laughed and pulled himself up onto the couch that they had been leaning against. "Remember that time in fourth year when McGonagall caught me and Harry playing chess during Transfiguration class?"

"I had forgotten all about that!" Hermione laughed, pulling herself up next to him. "She snuck up behind you guys and turned the two Kings into detention slips, one with each of your names on it."

"I remember Parvati laughed for about twenty minutes," Ron added.

The two friends went on for quite some time, taking turns telling funny stories of things that had happened in the past few years. It was something that they had been doing quite a lot in their spare time together for the past few days. They both seemed to sense the others need to hold onto these memories. They understood because they each felt the same way. With the future looking so uncertain, they clung to the past.

It wasn't until Hermione gave a small yawn that Ron looked up at the clock to check the time.

"Wow, its almost three in the morning!" he exclaimed. "Have we really been down here for four hours?"

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "No wonder I am so tired."

They headed towards the stairs together, walking back to their bedrooms.

"Well…," Ron said as they reached the door to Ginny's room. "I believe that this is your stop, Madame."

"Thanks for walking me home," she teased, a sleepy smile on her face.

She looked so cute at that moment with her white robe and wild curly hair that he suddenly had the urge to…what? _Kiss her?_

He mentally shook himself. _She's your friend_, he thought, _One of your best friends. _

"Well…" he started.

_ You idiot! How many times have you said "well" in the past minute?_

"Well…goodnight, Hermione."

And with that he turned and headed for his room.

_**Author's Note: There you go! The first chapter! I hope that I got your interest enough for you to stay tuned for the next one…here are some things that you can look forward too:**_

**_- Finally a confrontation between Harry and Ginny. _**

_**- More Ron/Hermione scenes, of course!**_

**_Remember everyone, please please leave me a review. I am super busy with school, but the more reviews that I get, the more motivated I will be to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. _**

****

**_Beta Note: Hey everyone! This is my sister's first story, and I think it's brilliant! I love it so far, and its much, much better than my first story. Leave her some good reviews! Love ya sis!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Thank you soooo much to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! It meant a lot to me. I apologize for the huge delay for this chapter. I'll try my best to get the next one up sooner! **_

_**Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to my good friend of the fanfiction name SashP. She is a veteran to fanfiction, and helped me a lot at the start of my fic (although my ship style is very different from hers :DDD. I recommend that you check out her story titled "Cream Coloured Wedding Dresses"- it's a really nice one shot. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in my story. I do, however, own the plot. Unless of course I am channeling JK Rowling's brain and publishing Deathly Hallows on here (extremely doubtful). **_

**Chapter 2**

_She sat alone at the kitchen table. The back door was opened, and she could hear birds singing outside. They were chirping happily to the new day. What was wrong with them? Maybe they didn't get the memo, but this was not a happy day; not at all. This was not a day to be singing. _

_In just a few hours, Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be leaving on some secret adventure. She didn't know where they were going, or what they had planned, but she knew that it was going to be dangerous. She could see it in their eyes. _

_She wanted more than anything in the world to go with them. She thought that she had proven, at least in the past two years, that she was just as capable as they were. Hadn't it been Ron, not her, that had gotten himself attacked by a suffocating brain at the Department of Mysteries? Hadn't it been Hermione who had been knocked unconscious, while she merely sprained her ankle?_

_She took a bite of her toast. She could hardly taste it. _

_She liked to think of herself as fearless. In some ways, she really was. If she had the chance to fight in a battle against Voldemort himself, if she could get back at him for all of the terrible deeds that he had done, and the lives he had ruined…she would do it without hesitation. But as she sat at the kitchen table, she had the sinking feeling that her deepest fears were coming true. _

_She hated to think about being separated from the people that she loved. It was such an overwhelmingly helpless feeling, knowing that at any given moment they could be in great danger, and there would be nothing that she could do to help them. _

_Harry had told her that he didn't know how long they would be gone. How could she be expected to just sit safely at home for god knows how long while her brother, her best friend, and her…?_

_Who was Harry to her, anyways? She felt as though she hardly knew him anymore. The guy that she had fallen for wouldn't treat her like such an…inferior. She could hold her own, and he knew it. Why was he being so difficult? _

_She could talk some sense in him. She knew she could. He had to let her come with them. _

_As if he had read her thoughts, suddenly Harry was in the kitchen. "Hey Ginny," he muttered, before turning his back to her and opening the cabinet. _

_She swallowed hard. It was now or never, she told herself. _

_"Harry? We need to talk," she started, in a voice that conveyed more confidence than she felt. _

_"I'm kind of busy," he replied, "I still have to pack and all."_

_"Yeah, I know. But its just…you're making a mistake, Harry. I know that you want to protect me, but I don't need to be protected. What I do need, though…what I need is to be with you guys. I need to do my part to help, Harry."_

_She turned to see his reaction. He stared evenly back at her, without speaking._

_"I mean…I could never live with myself if something happened to one of you and…." _

_She fought back her tears. She had to stay strong. "...and I wasn't there to help prevent it."_

_He gave a smirk. "Au contraire, I for one don't need to be protected," he mocked._

_She frowned. "You know me, Harry. You know this about me more than anyone else, because you are the same way. If I don't help…I won't be able to live with myself. How could I possibly?"_

_"I'm sure you can manage," he replied coldly._

_She looked up at him, shocked that he could say something so hurtful. Who was this guy, and what had had he done with Harry? _

_But then she realized the horrible truth. This was Harry. And maybe he had always been this way. Had she really been so in love with him that she had disillusioned herself into thinking that he was someone that he wasn't? _

_"Did you ever really love me?" she whispered to him, the hurt evident in her voice. _

_Harry's expression did not even falter; he did not even hesitate in his response. "No, Ginny," he answered, "I did not."_

_Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away from him. She ran from the kitchen and up the stairs, her vision becoming more and more blurry…._

"GINNY WEASLEY! Have you listened to a word that I have said?"

Ginny snapped back into reality at the sound of her mother's voice.

It had been more than a month since her horrible fight with Harry. When he had left a few hours later, they hadn't even spoken to each other. In fact, they hadn't spoken since.

After the fight, Ginny had run up to her room. Hermione was there, and they had spent the rest of the morning talking and crying. When it was time for Hermione to leave that afternoon, Ginny had a tearful goodbye with both her and Ron. She had hugged them both tight, whispering to her brother that she would never forgive him if he didn't come home safe.

After saying goodbye to everyone at the Burrow, they had left with Harry. He didn't so much as look in her direction.

It was hard for Ginny, ending on such a bad note with Harry when he was clearly in so much danger. She knew that she should hate him. She _tried_ to hate him. But she couldn't help it; she knew in her heart that he meant too much to her for that.

In the early weeks after their departure, life at the Burrow was difficult. With so little going on at home, it was easy to get wrapped up in her thoughts. She found herself obsessing over how she could have handled the situation with Harry differently. She was constantly wondering what he was thinking, what he was doing and even…if he was alive.

Lately she had been doing her best to move on with her life. She told herself that they could be gone for months…years even. She couldn't just put her life on hold until they returned. With that in mind, she tried her best to put all thoughts of Harry aside. Some of the time she thought that she was really doing better. Other times, however, like this morning, it all came back.

"Sorry, mum," she replied. "What did you say?"

"I said that I am going down to Diagon Alley in an hour to pick some things up. I asked if you wanted to come along and visit Fred and George."

"Oh, I don't feel like it today. I need to…"

_You need to what? Wallow in self pity? _

Before she could come up with a reasonable excuse, her mother intervened. "Well, young lady, you are coming with me whether you want to or not. You haven't been out of this house in days!"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny ate the last bit of her eggs, and headed towards the staircase leading to her room.

"Be ready in forty minutes!" her mom called after her.

When Ginny entered her room, she saw a letter lying at the foot of her bed. Her heart leapt.

Every few days, either Ron or Hermione would send her a note, giving her an update on what they had been up to. She hadn't gotten one in the past week, and for the past few days she had felt as though a dark curtain had fallen over her life. Her heart told her that something was wrong, although she couldn't pinpoint exactly what she thought had happened.

Ginny rushed over and grabbed the letter, sitting down on her bed to read it. She took a deep breath and began.

_Hey Sis!_

_Everything is going well. Really, I think that we finally have a bit of a lead. Who knows? We might even be home in time for Christmas. Sorry that you haven't heard from us in awhile. We have been traveling a lot, and we didn't really have time to stop and write. I wish that I could tell you more about what is going on, but it's not safe. Harry still insists that we shouldn't even be writing these letters. But don't worry; we won't keep you out of the loop. I have to go now, Ginny. Make sure to eat some of Mum's chicken for me!_

_Love you, _

_Ron_

_P.S. - Hermione says to tell you Hello. _

Ginny sighed in relief.

The letters that they sent were always the same- completely and utterly vague. However, each letter told her something; something that kept her anxiously awaiting each and every one.

The letters told her that they were still alive.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Hermione laid on the couch of a small cabin in the mountains of Austria, reading a book.

Until the week before, their search for the horcruxes could only have been described as a complete and total mess. They wandered aimlessly, searching through random caves that they passed on their way. They had no idea where any of the horcruxes were; they had no lead.

Then, as if by miracle, Harry had remembered back to the summer before their fifth year at Hogwarts.

"You guys…" he had exclaimed, his eyes growing wide. "At Grimmauld Place, we found a locket…it didn't open, remember? You don't think…"

Ron's mouth dropped open. "No way," he had whispered.

"R.A.B…R.A.B…Regulus Black!" Harry had practically shouted. He slapped himself on the forehead. "How did I not think of that?"

"Who cares?" Ron replied, happily. "You are genius, Mate...and I bet you anything that you are right. Let's go check it out."

Listening to the conversation, Hermione had begun to feel a sinking feeling in her stomach. "We can't…" she muttered bitterly. "Mundungus…he stole all of Sirius's stuff. Remember?"

Harry's eyes had narrowed. "We know who we need to find, then, don't we?" he concluded angrily.

With help from Fred and George, they had found him. At first, he pretended to have no idea what they were talking about. Finally, after much persuasion he had been forced to admit it- he had sold the locket. Not only had he sold it, but he had no recollection of exactly who he had sold it to.

He told them that he had gone to an enormous rummage festival. Wizards from all over the World had been there, buying and selling their used goods. It was there, along with other items belonging to Sirius, that Mundungus had sold the locket.

"I sold so much that day," he said miserably. "I can't even begin to guess who it was that bought the locket."

It was no wonder that he sounded miserable. The look on Harry's face, along with Ron and Hermione's, was enough to let him know that if they didn't get the locket back, he would pay…big time.

In a final act of desperation, he had given them a list of people that he had done business with that day. He said that he always liked to keep track of who had bought from him, so he could contact them if there was ever something new that he needed to sell. He assured them that somewhere on that list was the current owner of the locket.

They had left him, taking the list with them. Every since, they had been going down the list, visiting each and every person on it.

They had been all over the place- Belgium, Spain, France, and Norway. With each person that they visited, they became more and more desperate.

_Nobody had the locket. _

Or so it seemed. They had finally gotten to the last person on the list, an old man by the name of Bernard Helcun who lived up in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains of Austria. Tomorrow morning, when they arrived at his house, he would be either their Savior or their Destroyer; he was their last hope.

For tonight, they were staying at an Auror Center. Auror Centers had proven to be helpful during their travels around the Europe. They were small cabins that were set in strategic places throughout the world, so that Aurors could take shelter while they were off on missions. When they first started traveling and had expressed concern about where they would sleep, Ron had remembered his father talking about the Centers. After that, they had been breaking in and slept in them everywhere along the way.

Hermione turned the page of her book. Harry and Ron were still talking in the second room of the two room cabin, the kitchen. She had excused herself about thirty minutes ago, wanting to get to bed. However, like many nights since they had left the Burrow, she was unable to get to sleep. The sounds of the outdoors were different from at home; she often found herself laying and listening, unsure of what was outside. As tired as she was, she resigned herself to read instead.

Hearing the creak of the floorboards, she looked up. Ron had entered the room. He walked over to where she was laying on the couch and, with a smile on his face, sat down on her feet.

She laughed and pulled her feet out from under him, sitting up to give him room on the couch.

"Harry fell asleep at the kitchen table," Ron announced, snickering.

"Lucky guy," Hermione commented.

"I see that you haven't managed yet…"

"So what, are you just going to leave him there?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"Nah…I'll go wake him up in a minute. But I saw that the light was still on in here."

There was a brief silence. "I can never get to sleep," Hermione whispered.

"I know how you feel," Ron replied. "The sounds really get to me."

Hermione nodded. "Do you ever feel…like your life is rushing past you?"

Ron paused, thinking. "I feel like I have taken life…or the amount of time I have left in it…too lightly. It's like I have this mental list; a list of things that I want to accomplish. But I haven't been acting on them. I've always just assumed that I have _ages_ to live my life. But you can't really know that, can you? Its just so…"

Hermione looked into his bright blue eyes, and from them she could see all of the worry, all of the _passion_ that he felt. She remembered back to a time where she had thought that he was just a cute goofball. She had felt as though she never saw any emotion, any real depth to his character, and that drove her crazy. At this moment, however, sitting on the couch with Ron, she realized that he did have deep emotions, maybe even more so than herself. He was just afraid of putting himself out there and letting people see them. She could see that in his eyes too.

The next thing she knew, those eyes that she gazed at were getting closer to her. Closer….Closer…as though their heads were being pulled together by some invisible magnet.

When he kissed her, all coherent thoughts vanished for her mind, quite possibly for the first time in her over thought-out life. She felt totally in the moment; she was all too aware of the feeling of his hand rested gently on her cheek, the feeling of his lips against hers, the tingling sensation that she felt, surging through her body.

He moaned slightly, and they broke apart.

"Well…" he said hoarsely, "I guess that takes care of number one on my list."

His hand still rested on her cheek, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear. He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I love you, Hermione," he murmured, a faint blush appearing across his face.

Hermione felt the heat from her own face as she responded. "I love you too…I always have."

"Always?" he asked with a smile.

"Since I first saw you on the train to Hogwarts, dirt on your nose and all," she confessed.

He snorted at that. "Yeah…" he thought back, "I guess I thought that you were alright too."

She playfully slapped him with her free hand, and he reached out and grabbed it, pulling her forward.

And then they kissed again.

_**Author's Note: Love me for the Ron/Hermione scene and hate me for the Harry/Ginny scene? Or even…hate me for the Ron/Hermione scene and love me for the Harry/Ginny scene? Either way, or whatever you are feeling, PLEASE leave me a review! I really love getting feedback.**_

_**Like I said, I'll try to get my next chapter up sooner! And about Harry…I know you hate him right now, but I promise he will redeem himself…eventually. **_

_**But lets not get ahead of ourselves…Look in the next chapter for:**_

_**As always, more Ron/Hermione goodness**_

_**A new complication arises to the Harry/Ginny plot!!**_

_**Thanks again to my amazing sister and beta!**_

**_Beta Note: YAY! I LOVE this story, and its so much better than my first story. This chapter was no different, I loved the Ron/Hermione action, and although I hate Harry right now, JustAnotherDay assures me that she'll make it up for him. )_**


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